The City Civil and Sessions Court has acquitted a 29-year-old man in a case in which he was accused of raping a 24-year-old woman after threatening to post her nude pictures on social media.
Additional Sessions Judge Shayana V. Patil said, “The prosecution has miserably failed to establish that Mr. Jadhav committed sexual intercourse repeatedly with the victim at various places with the threat of publication of photographs and video clips taken under the state of unconsciousness.”
The judge acquitted him of all charges based on Section 232 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. “Judge considers there is no evidence that the accused committed the offence, the judge shall record an order of acquittal,” reads the judgment.
According to the complainant, she worked in Belapur and stayed at a hostel in Vashi in August 2013. Every alternate Saturday, she used to travel in a private bus to her house, which was in Satara. In September of that year, she met Rahul Jadhav, her ex-classmate, during one such bus trip and they soon started travelling together. Mr. Jadhav had studied Computer Science and she started visiting his house in Dadar to learn C language.
Mr. Jadhav, the woman alleged, offered her a spiked drink when she visited his house in December, due to which she fell unconscious. When she regained consciousness, she was in a state of undress. Mr. Jadhav then allegedly showed her nude photos and videos of her and threatened to upload them on social media.
Between December that year and April 2014, he repeatedly raped her, alleged the woman.. In July 2014, the woman moved to Lonavla, but the accused followed her and raped her. In November 2014, she moved to Hyderabad to pursue further studies, but Mr. Jadhav tracked her down and raped her there as well.
In February 2015, when she returned to Satara, the accused followed her and forced her to sign two bond papers, which he claimed were documents of their marriage. He then threatened to upload the nude photos if she refused to come and stay with him.
The woman informed her sister-in-law about Mr. Jadhav’s repeated threats and abuse. Her family then sent her to her brother’s house in Pune and registered an FIR on March 12, 2015 under Section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code, and Section 66E (punishment for violation of privacy) of the Information Technology Act.